Ghibli Tavern - I lost my little boy (the last project of Miyazaki?)

I lost my little boy

http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/newspro...kZEukpFYoUcYAwD
http://www.onlineghibli.com/index.php?su...amp;ucat=2&

Well there it is, the next project of Studio Ghibli. It seems to be concerning a kid called Mimi who suffers from a heart disease. Has anyone read this new Yishu's children's novel?

EDIT: Oh and the the release date is estimated to be 2006.

__________________
隠された楽園

Post last edited by Azhur on 04.05.2005, 01:09 PM.

04.05.2005, 01:04 PM

Registration Date: 01.15.05
Location: Downtown Koriko
Posts: 517

The full story can be found here. It seems that the author has released the story for quite some time before publishing it as a book.

I will spend some time on it when I have the spare time.

http://culture.163.com/editor/qihuan/041...231_106800.html
(just a lame reminder, the story is in Chinese)

Okay, okay, this is getting a bit weird . Just have a look at the first few lines:

quote:
My name is Mimi.

My online nickname is Totoro (Longmao). Totoro is a rare specie that is close to extinction. They like to be alone late in the night, under their umbrellas. They often weeps aggrievedly. We have to learn to protect Totoro. Therefore I need lots and lots of love...

By the way, another piece of work of the author shares the same Chinese title with Grave of the Fireflies.
(the major character eventually suicides by jumping off from a tall building)

This must be an April Fool's joke. But no, by now over 10 Chinese news agents have reported the same piece of news...

Just finished reading the story. No, it is not exactly a children literature, at least in the Western sense (maybe the Chinese definition is much broader) . It is a story of love and friendship, written in a very relaxed way that the plot and the timeline is close to non-existent. Sometimes you even think the characters have died (with implications like wings), and then they become perfectly normal in the next chapter. The whole story is somehow like a dream, a very strange dream of love in the style of fantasy.

The story also has quite a number of Ghibli references, from the direct ones like Hayao Miyazaki, Totoro, Valley of the Wind, to the indirect ones like fireflies and the chapter of "the Dog's Return." (when Mimi's dog saves his master from getting crashed by a truck...)

__________________
My light novel review blog: ラノなの！@ novel.co.nr

04.06.2005, 12:54 PM

Does this mean that Studio Ghibli is making a feature of a story which greatest influence was actually Studio Ghibli!? I don't like the idea, but still very interesting to see how it works...

Nausicaa: "In the interview, he announced that three projects are going on right now: one by Miyazaki, one by Takahata, and one based on a foreign book. He used a word "Youmono," which usually means "Western," so it's unknown if this means the Chinese book reported above."

So at the moment Ghibli is on three projects at once. I feel so excited.

__________________
隠された楽園

04.07.2005, 04:19 AM

Registration Date: 01.15.05
Location: Downtown Koriko
Posts: 517

quote:
Originally posted by Azhur
Does this mean that Studio Ghibli is making a feature of a story which greatest influence was actually Studio Ghibli!? I don't like the idea, but still very interesting to see how it works...

Nausicaa: "In the interview, he announced that three projects are going on right now: one by Miyazaki, one by Takahata, and one based on a foreign book. He used a word "Youmono," which usually means "Western," so it's unknown if this means the Chinese book reported above."

So at the moment Ghibli is on three projects at once. I feel so excited.

The story is not exactly being heavily influenced by Ghibli. Frankly it may not be going to be something you expect to see. It is neither a warm tale like Kiki or Totoro, nor a down-to-earth romance like Whisper. In fact I cannot call it a children litertature. Throughout the movie a few major charcters die for unnatural causes. And there are quite an amount of nostalgia and romance.

But it is certain that the author himself is a hardcore Ghibli fanatic. You see Mimi called himself Totoro at the very start of the story? Actually the author is doing the same thing in the real life (and it seems like he uses a screenshot of Fireflies as his avatar). Also the author's age (21) is quite close to Mimi's (20). It may have certain elements of an autobiography.

I wonder which major country is located right in the West of Japan, by the way.

__________________
My light novel review blog: ラノなの！@ novel.co.nr

04.07.2005, 06:21 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Jiji
But it is certain that the author himself is a hardcore Ghibli fanatic. You see Mimi called himself Totoro at the very start of the story? Actually the author is doing the same thing in the real life (and it seems like he uses a screenshot of Fireflies as his avatar). Also the author's age (21) is quite close to Mimi's (20). It may have certain elements of an autobiography.

21 years old! He sure is young for getting a chance to have his story published by Studio Ghibli.

quote:

I wonder which major country is located right in the West of Japan, by the way.

Yeah.. I always think west as USA, but now it's quite surely the working land of China.

__________________
隠された楽園

Post last edited by Azhur on 04.07.2005, 06:36 AM.

04.07.2005, 06:36 AM

Registration Date: 01.15.05
Location: Downtown Koriko
Posts: 517

An update to the news:

http://www.onlineghibli.com/index.php?su...amp;ucat=2&

quote:
According to Dazong Daily, Mr Yishu claimed in an interview that he was contacted by Ghibli. Both parties are now compromising on the editing issues, and will soon start the preparation work.

The Japanese translator of the book is Ms Shizuko Saruwatari, who also wrote an preface. She described the story as "extraordinarily elusive and beautiful," and helped with the promotion of the book in Japan. Because of the childlike innocence and appeal, the book has attracted quite a number of readers, and aroused the interest of Studio Ghibli.

There is an interview with Yishu and it took me much time to make a full translation. I am not quoting it here. You can find it on the front page of the site.

http://www.onlineghibli.com/index.php?su...amp;ucat=2&

So all my speculations are wrong. This is not going to be a minor project, and has nothing to do with the "Youmono" project. But the worst news is that Miyazaki is going to retire! >_<

__________________
My light novel review blog: ラノなの！@ novel.co.nr

04.07.2005, 07:21 AM

Registration Date: 01.15.05
Location: Downtown Koriko
Posts: 517

This is the ending of the story. No, it is not a translation. It is in English. The author himself translated it into Chinese, and included both versions at the end.

I wonder is this from an old Western folk song?

quote:
A Child Is Born

　　A ray of hope flickers in the sky. A tiny star lights up way up high. All across the land dawns a brand new more. This comes to pass when a child is born.

　　A silent wish sails the seven seas. The winds of change whisper in the trees. And the walls of doubt crumble-tossed and torn. This comes to pass when a child is born.

　　A rosy hue settles all around. You got the feel you're on solid ground. For a spell or two no one seems forlorn. This comes to pass when a child is born.

　　And all of this happens because the world is waiting，waiting for one child， black……white……yellow……no one knows. But a child that will grow up and turn. Tears to laughter hate to love war to peace.

　　And everyone to everyone's neighbor……

　　And misery and suffering will be words to be forgotten forever……

　　It's all a dream an illusion now. It must come true sometime soon somehow.

　　All across the land dawns a brand new more. This comes to pass when a child is born. Ha，ha，ha，ha……

__________________
My light novel review blog: ラノなの！@ novel.co.nr

04.08.2005, 12:29 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Jiji
This is the ending of the story. No, it is not a translation. It is in English. The author himself translated it into Chinese, and include both versions at the end.

I wonder is this from an old Western folk song?

quote:
A Child Is Born

　　A ray of hope flickers in the...

With some googling I found this song with the exact same lyrics:

"When A Child Is Born !
Andrea Bocelli"

I don't know if Bocelli was the first one to sing this song though.

quote:
Originally posted by Jiji
So all my speculations are wrong. This is not going to be a minor project, and has nothing to do with the "Youmono" project. But the worst news is that Miyazaki is going to retire! >_<

I wonder what Miyazaki's "retiring" means this time.

Btw. Are you Ghibli Tavern's adminstrator, since this thread's title was changed after your post about his retiring plans?

__________________
隠された楽園

Post last edited by Azhur on 04.08.2005, 12:48 PM.

04.08.2005, 12:42 PM

Registration Date: 01.15.05
Location: Downtown Koriko
Posts: 517

quote:
Originally posted by Azhur
With some googling I found this song with the exact same lyrics:

"When A Child Is Born !
Andrea Bocelli"

I don't know if Bocelli was the first one to sing this song though.

I wonder what Miyazaki's "retiring" means this time.

Btw. Are you Ghibli Tavern's adminstrator, since this thread's title was changed after your post about his retiring plans?

Thanks for the info.

I am not sure what the whole retiring stuff is really about. After all in the last month, Producer Suzuki assured us that Miyazaki had no plans of retirement. Yishu is not from Ghibli, so it is the safest to stick to the official statement.

Who knows if Miyazaki really changed his mind? But I cannot see why he had to lie to Yishu, or why Yishu had to lie to the interviewer. Moreover the tone of Yishu when answering the question is very firm and certain and without any doubt (a short and simple "Yes" ). Probably he is very sure of what is happening, or else how dare him to announce the retirement of the master, and also his own idol?

And yup I am one of the admins 8] . Just that I sometimes don't feel like one, so I played a little trick with the thread title.

Btw I have put the story into my personal site (not exactly onlineghibli). It is faster and more neat when compared with the Chinese source. So if you want to read the story you can go to here. It is still in Chinese, though.

http://kiki.onlineghibli.com/boy

The cover of the book:
(it is shown that the official Englsih title is "I Lost My Little Boy" )

P.S. this is the blog of Yishu. You can clearly see the Grave of the Firelfies logo. All the messages by 龙猫 (Totoro) were posted by him. (and his book costs just $1 in US dollars

)

http://yinghuozhimu.yculblog.com/

__________________
My light novel review blog: ラノなの！@ novel.co.nr

04.08.2005, 02:34 PM

Roarkiller
Your Daddy-O

Registration Date: 06.03.03
Location: Home, resting...
Posts: 6077

Wow, that's a great poem, very deep. It's a wonder that it's Children's literature.

Unfortunately, I don't understand chinese (barely), and I don't think my friends got time to spare to translate it for me

__________________
I am me.
I am who I am.
I am Roarkiller.
No one else is me.

Roarkiller.net
Isakaya High RPG Site

quote:
Originally posted by fenkashi
Screw your opinions, they are not relevant ^^.

04.09.2005, 06:03 AM

Registration Date: 01.15.05
Location: Downtown Koriko
Posts: 517

Popularity of Online Ghibli, Jiji, Azhur and Roarkiller?

I am surprised that a Chinese news agent has been paying special attention to these forums and especially this thread.

Sad to know that Roarkiller is chopped up into two. Schizophrenia?

http://entertainment.anhuinews.com/syste...001235473.shtml

A partial translation:

quote:
... It is almost the first time for everyone to know about the news. Someone called Jiji posted the source of the news and some chapters of the novel, which soon aroused widespread concern. Azhur asked a lot of questions, eg "Will it really be made by Miyazaki?" "Will it really be an adaptation of a Chinese novel?" He said he hoped to see the original version of "I Lost My Little Boy." Roar (?) said he did not know much about China, and had never read the Chinese novels, but there must be some reasons for Miyazaki to make such a choice. Killer (?) sounds more harsh and critical. He said that after 'Howl's Moving Castle,' Miyazaki chose to make an adaptation again instead of create his own original work. This makes the others feel that Miyazaki has exhausted his own creative veins. He suspected that the creativeness of the master has already dried up...

__________________
My light novel review blog: ラノなの！@ novel.co.nr

04.12.2005, 01:10 AM

Registration Date: 04.12.05
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 10

quote:
Originally posted by Jiji
Popularity of Online Ghibli, Jiji, Azhur and Roarkiller?

I am surprised that a Chinese news agent has been paying special attention to these forums and especially this thread.

Sad to know that Roarkiller is chopped up into two. Schizophrenia?

http://entertainment.anhuinews.com/syste...001235473.shtml

What should I say.. I'm stunned. It's indeed odd to see how the Chinese news network twists our little conversation into a news topic. I feel sorry for Roarkiller though.

quote:

Azhur asked a lot of questions, eg "Will it really be made by Miyazaki?" "Will it really be an adaptation of a Chinese novel?" He said he hoped to see the original version of "I Lost My Little Boy."

I don't quite understand the last sentance.. when did I ever speak of seeing the original version? Secondly what does he/she mean by original version.. how many different versions of ILMLB are there actually available?

__________________
隠された楽園

Post last edited by Azhur on 04.12.2005, 05:36 AM.

04.12.2005, 02:56 AM

hopscotch
Kodama

jiji

jiji...hahha..
you are now famous as well.
check this out
http://ent.sina.com.cn/s/j/2005-04-12/1453701052.html

__________________
宫崎骏，我们永远爱你！

04.12.2005, 04:08 AM

Registration Date: 01.15.05
Location: Downtown Koriko
Posts: 517

quote:
Originally posted by Azhur
What should I say.. I'm stunned. It's indeed odd to see how the Chinese news network twists our little conversation into a news topic. I feel sorry for Roarkiller though.

Well, at least the whole piece of news is not dedicated to us

. The title of the report is "The last piece of work of Miyazaki is locked at China's 'I Lost My Little Boy'". It talks about how the news has been spreading around in China and Japan. But onlineghibli.com is the only site mentioned, and our discussion is the only one that got quoted.

quote:
I don't quite understand the last sentance.. when did I ever speak of seeing the original version? Secondly what does he/she mean by original version.. how many different versions of ILMLB are there actually available?

No one knows. After all has Roarkiller(killer) ever said Miyazaki has run out of his creativity?

I think the "original version" in the report means the untranslated Chinese version.

quote:
Originally posted by hopscotch
jiji...hahha..
you are now famous as well.
check this out
http://ent.sina.com.cn/s/j/2005-04-12/1453701052.html

Hi hopscotch! Welcome to the forums! Hope you'll enjoy your stay here

That's amazing. Perhaps in a few days the whole of China will know about us and our discussion.

Anyway I have done some googling and it turns out that our discussion has become a popular spice-up for the news of Miyazaki's new project. Some other news sites with similar reports include:

http://japan.people.com.cn/GB/35468/35502/3315298.html
http://news.sina.com.tw/articles/12/90/6...t/20050412.html

According to people.com.cn, the source of the report is from "Xinhuo Xinbao (Life New News)."

__________________
My light novel review blog: ラノなの！@ novel.co.nr

04.12.2005, 08:02 AM

hopscotch
Kodama

Registration Date: 04.12.05
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 10

yey~cheers bro.
I think there will be more Miyazaki's Chinese fans in here later on..
Miyazaki.
We love ya!~

__________________
宫崎骏，我们永远爱你！

04.12.2005, 08:34 AM

GURUMIN
Susuwatari

Registration Date: 04.14.05
Location:
Posts: 1

i'm sorry,my english is not so good ,i think this new is fake,not a joke but a lie ,to help somebody sell more books on the market.

04.14.2005, 02:10 PM

Registration Date: 01.15.05
Location: Downtown Koriko
Posts: 517

quote:
Originally posted by GURUMIN
i'm sorry,my english is not so good ,i think this new is fake,not a joke but a lie ,to help somebody sell more books on the market.

Hi Gurumin! Welcome to the forums

. Are you from China?

I agree that possibly, or maybe even probably that part/whole of the news is a made-up. After all we have yet to see a formal announcement from Studio Ghibli. I will not jump to any definite conclusion without the backing of evidence though. So by now the news is still unconfirmed as it has always been, and at present we can only wait and see.

Seeking a clarification, I sent a formal email to the author of the book in the name of this site few days ago. The reply has yet to arrive, though.

Today in the Jiefang Daily, there is a pretty good analysis of the whole rumour.

http://www.jfdaily.com/gb/node2/node142/...t1ai875986.html

__________________
My light novel review blog: ラノなの！@ novel.co.nr

04.14.2005, 02:47 PM

liuying
Susuwatari

Registration Date: 04.15.05
Location:
Posts: 2

Well, guys, by now its pretty much clear that this rumor is totally a rumor only. The photo of that boy seems quite cute on his website, I went to read his book as well, wouldn’t say its amazing but still not bad. Why does he have to do this? And those news reporters, they just speak like they have no shame. Well, disappointed, that’s the word to sum up.

04.15.2005, 03:11 AM